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New consumer unit ?
- Thread starter Darren Rainbow
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- consumer unit
Consumer Unit looks to be around 1970, so the rest of installation will be at least that old. An isolator has been added much more recently, probably when the new meter was fitted. People do often change accessories, to make an installation look more modern, If you are thinking to buy it, factor in the cost of a rewire.
Depends what you mean by 'needs'. Do you need a new car?
If you want any electrical work done, you will probably have to replace it to comply with the new work.
You will need to have an Electrical Installation Condition Report carried out by an experienced and knowledgeable electrician.
Be aware not many are experienced and knowledgeable enough to do this report - although absolutely anyone is actually allowed to do it.
And whoever installed that smart meter Comms block needs slapping.....
What is the place like for 13A sockets-are there lots or just 1 or 2 in each room?
If you do decide to go deeper, might be worth getting an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR)- that won't tell you whether there are inaccessible jbs, cables out of zones etc. but it will tell you if the cable insulation is degrading.
What is the place like for 13A sockets-are there lots or just 1 or 2 in each room?
If you do decide to go deeper, might be worth getting an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR)- that won't tell you whether there are inaccessible jbs, cables out of zones etc. but it will tell you if the cable insulation is degrading.
Much depends on how much has been botched and patched onto the original installation, since it was originally done 50-ish years ago.
Pictures of sockets and light switches MAY give a further indication of the wiring.
50 year old wiring may be ok, but that's not to say it hasn't been bodged around with over the years as additions have been added. (As H has already stated.)
50 year old wiring may be ok, but that's not to say it hasn't been bodged around with over the years as additions have been added. (As H has already stated.)
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I think 1970's was wooden base, one shown is plastic so more like 80's, but swapping a fuse box for a consumer unit is likely under £800 so not anything to stop you buying the house.
13 April 1964 – 1 June 1979 Ian Douglas Smith was Prime Minister of Rhodesia and it caused a shortage of copper, some odd houses at that time had aluminium cables, this was a big problem, also early PVC had some plasticizer which could leach out as a green grunge, this made the insulation brittle, but in the main homes rewired after 1966 are still OK today, 1966 the rules changed on earthing lights, and also it was around that time we stopped using rubber.
But the picture shows very little, fuses swapped for MCB's 5 early version 1 latter version, and the main switch on that Wylex only rated 60 amp so only a 60 amp supply fuse should be fitted.
13 April 1964 – 1 June 1979 Ian Douglas Smith was Prime Minister of Rhodesia and it caused a shortage of copper, some odd houses at that time had aluminium cables, this was a big problem, also early PVC had some plasticizer which could leach out as a green grunge, this made the insulation brittle, but in the main homes rewired after 1966 are still OK today, 1966 the rules changed on earthing lights, and also it was around that time we stopped using rubber.
But the picture shows very little, fuses swapped for MCB's 5 early version 1 latter version, and the main switch on that Wylex only rated 60 amp so only a 60 amp supply fuse should be fitted.
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Yes, I concur. From my experience, those Wylex Standards with plastic bases date from 1980 at the earliest.
Of course that is only the consumer unit which is 1980's. Swapping the consumer unit for a more modern one was even more common back then, the actual rest installation, the wiring could well be much older. We would need photos of the switches sockets and what lays behind them, to have a more certain idea.
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Was Rhodesia a major exporter of copper, looking at lists of major producers it does not rate a mention
I think the consumer unit in the picture may have a wooden box after all.
Some of older boxes with the wooden frames had a woodscrew in each of the four corners, and I think later ones with wooden frames looked more like the one in the pic.
Flameport's museum has a picture of a black Wylex wooden frame cu which resembles the op's cu.
I think the black marks at the bottom of the cu in the op's pic makes it look like knockouts in a plastic cu.
Some of older boxes with the wooden frames had a woodscrew in each of the four corners, and I think later ones with wooden frames looked more like the one in the pic.
Flameport's museum has a picture of a black Wylex wooden frame cu which resembles the op's cu.
I think the black marks at the bottom of the cu in the op's pic makes it look like knockouts in a plastic cu.
I'm not convinced either way. The base looks to be a slightly different shade, to the rest, but the cut-outs seem to be nicely rounded, as if plastic.
I didn't think they were cut-outs, I thought they were dirty marks.
However, I think the wooden bases may have been noticeably larger than the plastic fronts - so I am now leaning towards it being all plastic...
However, I think the wooden bases may have been noticeably larger than the plastic fronts - so I am now leaning towards it being all plastic...